Hope
by thechosenone629
Summary: Ron and Hermione immediately after the Final Battle. I know it's been done a million times, but just give it a go; you might enjoy it. I'm a super R/Hr shipper, so of course there is going to be a ton of Romione in this! H/G mentioned as well.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the Harry Potter universe, just the plot of this fanfiction; everything belongs to J. K. Rowling.

**Hope**

**Chapter One**

Everything was quiet; like someone had suddenly muted the sound of the chaos that was the ending of the final battle. Hermione looked around her. Everything she saw seemed distant and moving in slow motion, as if it all were a nightmare she'd wake up from at any moment.

But it wasn't a nightmare.

It was very real. Hermione's vision was filled with the rubble, blood, and bodies that surrounded her. She could see families, desperately clinging to one another, their shoulders shaking as they mourned the unjust death of their loved ones. She saw Hogwarts castle, the one place where she had ever felt safe and at home, blown to ruins. Everywhere she looked, Hermione could only see the death and destruction Voldemort had brought to the world.

Suddenly, Hermione felt someone's hand intertwine with hers. The way the big and calloused hand fit perfectly with her small slender one told her that it was Ron.

As if someone had suddenly flicked a switch on, a wave of sound crashed around Hermione. Screams, cheers, and sobs filled her ears as the world snapped back into focus. Overwhelmed with the sights and sounds that were assaulting her, she tried to remember what had brought her back to reality.

Ron.

Ron was there. Hermione turned her head to look at her best friend. His hair was matted with a mixture of blood and dirt; he had several cuts and bruises wherever his skin was exposed; and the dark shadows that were under his red-rimmed eyes seemed more prominent than ever. He gave her hand the faintest of squeezes and attempted to give her a reassuring smile. It was over. All of the running, the hiding, the fear of death or torture, the worrying over the safety of their loved ones and the fate of the world, the _war_ was over.

As Hermione's thoughts were catching up to her, she felt Ron begin to lead her in the direction of the Great Hall. Hermione didn't know how long she must have just been standing there, taking in the sight of her world crumbled right before her, but now she could feel her mind returning slowly into a functional state. Several thoughts soon flooded her mind. The first one that came was Harry. Where was he? She quickened her pace to match Ron's long strides as he continued to lead her into the Great Hall.

Near the end of the Gryffindor table, Hermione spotted a group of people with ginger hair. She walked with Ron towards the Weasleys. As they got nearer, Hermione's heart jolted as she saw Harry, who was holding a weeping Ginny. Was it really only an hour ago that Hermione had seen him leave to meet his certain death in the Forbidden Forest? Harry looked up from Ginny to see Ron and Hermione approaching. He gave a Ginny a questioning look, his eyes darting between her and his two best friends. She sat up straight, giving him a half-hearted smile as she wiped her eyes, and nodded. Harry gently got up from the bench where he had been sitting with Ginny and walked toward Ron and Hermione.

Harry looked into the faces of his two best friends with his tired green eyes. Before Hermione could register what was happening, she found herself in a bone-crushing group hug.

"Thank you." Harry murmured to the other two. Hermione felt the tears stinging in her eyes as she squeezed Ron and Harry tighter. They had made it. Against all odds, the three of them were somehow still alive—and together. Voldemort was dead and gone forever; and for the first time in years, Hermione could feel just a small sliver of hope for the future rise up in her chest.

The trio ended their embrace and turned together face the Weasleys and the rest of the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

An hour or so after the battle had ended, Harry told Ron and Hermione that he needed to go to bed and clear his mind. Hermione, being so protective over her best friend, didn't like the idea of him being alone, but she gave him a nod of consent, because she knew that if anyone deserved some time alone to deal with everything that had happened, it was Harry.

As she watched Harry slowly make his way up what was left of the marble staircase towards Gryffindor tower, Hermione could sense that Ron was back at her side. She tore her gaze from Harry's retreating form so she could look at Ron properly.

Hermione felt her cheeks flush as the memory of their kiss in the room of requirement came back to her. Did that really happen? She didn't think her heart would be able to handle it if it all had been a dream…

Hermione saw the tips of Ron's ears glow a familiar shade of red as he looked down at her. Maybe it really hadn't been a dream.

"C'mon, let's go for a walk," Ron whispered to her. "I don't think I can handle all of this much longer."

He cautiously took her hand again, and they walked towards the great oak doors at the entrance of the castle. Once they were outside, they walked far across the grounds toward the lake. Here, there was hardly any sign of the destruction the war had left in its path. Ron and Hermione sat down side by side under a willow tree.

"So," Hermione started, not really sure what to say to Ron. A million thoughts were zooming across her head all at once and she didn't know where to begin. "Are you all right?"

Hermione mentally kicked herself. Of course Ron wasn't okay, he had just been through a war, had narrowly missed death several times, and had watched his own brother die right in front of his eyes.

"About as all right as I could be, I suppose." he said, his face devoid of emotion. Hermione knew that he was trying to be strong and put up a front. Strong for her, strong for Harry, and strong for his family. She knew him too well to know that he wasn't telling her how he was really feeling.

Hermione placed a hand on his cheek and made him look into her eyes. His cobalt eyes finally locked onto her brown ones. "Don't you dare lie to me, Ronald Weasley. Tell me the truth." she said sternly.

She could see the fear and the sadness in his eyes and comfortingly rubbed her thumb against his dirty cheek.

Ron lost it. He grabbed Hermione and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her bushy hair. Hermione, shocked, slowly wrapped her arms around him in return as she could feel Ron's sobs make his chest shake violently against hers.

"It's not fair!" Ron cried. "Why Fred? Why him, what did he ever do?" She could feel his tears soaking her hair, and realized that her own were soaking his jumper. "Hermione, it should have been me instead! I was the one who left you and—"

Suddenly, Hermione pulled herself away from Ron so that she could look in his eyes. "Ronald," she said, more venomously than she intended to, "don't you EVER say that!"

Ron looked at her, confused by her sudden anger. "But—"

He didn't get the chance to finish.

"How could you say you wish it would have been you!?" Hermione screamed. "Did it ever occur to you that Harry and I would lose our best friend, that we wouldn't have ended this war without you, that I love you so much that I couldn't even _live_ without you!?"

Ron looked at her, speechless. Finally realizing what Hermione had said, Ron crashed his lips to hers. Hermione, who was blindingly furious at Ron a second ago, didn't know what was happening, but frankly couldn't care less. She tangled her fingers in Ron's hair and brought him closer to her. All she could sense was Ron. His familiar scent intoxicated her as she felt his tongue exploring her mouth. She let out a small moan and pushed him down so that his back hit the grass underneath them and she was on top of him. Giving into her senses for the first time in what felt like forever, she didn't resist when Ron pulled her even closer to his body, if that was even possible. Hermione took one of her hands away from Ron's hair and let it travel under the hem of his jumper and up his washboard abs, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. Ron let a moan escape his throat as he flipped Hermione over so she was underneath him.

Hermione could feel his rough hands caress her face as he kissed her lips, her jaw, and started making his way down her neck. Hermione gasped as his lips touched the scar Bellatrix's knife had left near the base of her throat. Ron stopped moving and found her eyes with his.

"Are you okay?" His hoarse voice sounded concerned. "Did I hurt you?" His hand cupped her face.

"No," she replied. But Hermione suddenly remembered why they had come to the lake in the first place. She sat herself up, and Ron got off of her. "But Ron, we can't do this now."

Ron didn't respond, hurt clearly visible in his shining eyes.

"Oh, no!" Hermione began; she didn't want him to misunderstand. "I want _this_", she said, her cheeks flushing pink as she gestured between the two of them. Ron's frown disappeared. "But Ron, so many people still need us; your family, the people in Hogwarts, and Harry. We still need to figure out a lot of things."

Ron reluctantly nodded. Hermione knew that he agreed with her. Now that they knew they would live to see tomorrow, they needed to focus their energy on those who needed it most.

"You're right, 'Mione." Ron sighed. "We need to finish what we started."

And at that, Ron stood up, dusted off his tattered clothes, and offered Hermione a hand to help her up. When they were both on their feet, Hermione grabbed Ron's other hand and looked up at him.

"But we will also finish _this_." She knew her face was burning, but she didn't care. For the first time in months, Ron's mouth formed a smile that reached his eyes. He squeezed her hands.

"I know," he said. "Because now we've got all the time in the world."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hours later, Hermione and Ron decided to join Harry in Gryffindor tower. They had spent the rest of the day grieving with the Weasleys over the newly deceased, while simultaneously trying to clean up the rubble that once was Hogwarts castle.

When they reached the Gryffindor common room, they were surprised to see only a few students lounging about the relatively undamaged sofa and squishy armchairs. Hermione, realizing that her hand had somehow become intertwined with Ron's once more, sighed as she withdrew her hand and turned to bid Ron good night before she went up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Well," she said to Ron, her voice cracking from its lack of use during the past few hours, "I guess I'll see you in the morning." This idea was slightly foreign to Hermione; she had been sleeping right next to Harry and Ron for the entirety of the time they had been on the horcrux hunt, always knowing that they were safe and together, and now it felt rather strange to her to be headed back to her old dormitory.

"'Night, 'Mione." Ron gave her a half-hearted lopsided grin. He gently placed a kiss on her dirty forehead and looked into her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning."

As Ron finished speaking, Hermione realized that for the first time in a very long time, what Ron said was actually guaranteed to happen. She smiled up at him as a warmth spread from inside her chest and across her entire body. They all were safe; they all would live to see tomorrow, and they would all still have each other. She gave Ron a quick hug before skipping up the steps to the dormitory to take a very long, warm shower.

….

When Ron went up to his own dormitory, he wasn't surprised at all to see is best mate basically collapsed on his bed, glasses askew on his grime and blood covered face, clothes tattered and dirty, and sleeping more soundly than Ron had ever seen him sleep in the last seven years. Ron tiptoed over to Harry and gently removed his glasses and put them on the nightstand next to Harry's bed. Then, Ron quietly drew the curtains around Harry's bed. If anybody deserved to be left sleeping undisturbed, it was his best mate.

After taking what was probably the first proper shower he'd had since he left Shell Cottage, Ron rummaged around the drawer in the nightstand next to his old bed and pulled out a pair of old pajama bottoms, which he quickly pulled on. Ron crawled under the covers of his bed and closed his eyes.

But sleep would not come to him.

Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see were the horrifying pictures of the past year flashing through his head. Fred's cold and dead eyes, Harry's limp form dangling in Hagrid's arms, the bloody letters that spelled out _mudblood_ on Hermione's arm. Hermione twitching and squirming as she screamed in pain under the Cruciatis curse. Hermione barely breathing as they landed on the beach at Shell Cottage. Her chest stopped moving up and down, the light was leaving her eyes—

"Hermione!" Ron jolted awake in a cold sweat. Breathing heavily, he looked to see what had woken him up. Hermione had somehow made her way up to the boys' dormitory and was shaking Ron's shoulder to wake him up.

"Shhh!" she told him, looking over to Harry's bed. But Harry- to both of their surprise- was not there.

"Must have gone somewhere with Ginny." Hermione suggested. "I heard Ginny head down the staircase a bit earlier."

Ron, who would have normally gone into overprotective-brother mode, simply didn't have the energy to worry about the whereabouts of his little sister and his best mate. At least for tonight, he decided, he would let it go. He turned his head to look back and Hermione, who was wearing an oversized jumper over her pajamas.

He smiled. "What are you doing up here?"

Hermione's face flushed. "Well-" she started, seeming to be, for the first time since Ron had known her, lost for words, "I—Er—well…. I—couldn't sleep." She looked down sheepishly, quickly trying to explain, "I mean, I've been sleeping right next to you and Harry for so long... and I kept having nightmares…. And I—I just had to make sure you were all right." She looked somewhat flustered, trying to find a way to put her thoughts into words.

"Hey," Ron put a finger under her chin and lifted her face up so their eyes met. "It's all right; I know exactly what you mean."

"Blimey…" Ron let out a long breath and ran his other hand roughly through his red hair. "Just can't believe everything that's happened, 'Mione. I'm not sure how to handle it all."

Hermione stared at her best friend intently; she knew that he would never let down his guard and admit this to anyone else, and for that she couldn't help but feel her heart swell with adoration for Ron.

"I don't think anyone knows what's going to happen next, Ron." She sighed, "But for the first time ever, I honestly don't want to think about everything we need to do or have to deal with. You, Harry, and I survived, Ron. And we are all together, and—for tonight at least—that's enough for me." She attempted to give him a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Well," Hermione got off Ron's bed, "I guess I'll just go now, now that I know you are all right." She turned to leave.

"Wait!" Ron jumped out of his bed and, with one stride of his long legs, reached Hermione. "Please, don't go." The tips of his ears and his bare chest started to turn red with embarrassment. "I mean—it's like you said; we all slept in the same room while we were on the run…. It would be weird… I mean—" He brushed a loose strand of Hermione's bushy hair behind her ear, "I want to make sure you're safe tonight. Stay here." His eyes were pleading with her.

Hermione looked up into his pale, freckled face. She had been best friends with Ron for seven years, and she could read him almost as easily as she could her weathered copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. She could tell that he needed her, that the grief, shock, and mixed emotions the ending of the war had brought him were too much for him to bear on his own. He needed her to be strong for him, and that's exactly what she was going to be.

Hermione took Ron's large and calloused hand and led him back to his bed. Without a word, she crawled under the covers. She could hear Ron draw the curtains closed around them.

Ron crawled cautiously into the bed next to Hermione. He lay on his back, making sure to leave a few inches of spaces between them. He didn't want Hermione to think that he was the sort of bloke to take advantage of this kind of situation.

It wasn't easy, though. It felt as though there was a constant flow of electricity running in between them. He was extremely aware of just exactly how close Hermione Granger, the brilliant witch he had fallen in love with, was to him. He didn't dare move, because he wasn't sure how much self-control he would have if they were touching.

Hermione could feel the heat radiating off Ron. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. Surely he could hear her pounding in her chest? She took a deep breath to calm herself and flipped onto her other side to face Ron.

His breath hitched and he decided to chance a glance at her.

It was a mistake.

Every single ounce of restraint he had been exercising had completely abandoned him as their eyes locked. Hermione moved first.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had crushed her lips onto Ron's. He immediately turned to face her completely and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back fiercely.

The few inches of space that had been between them had disappeared in an instant. Some small part of Hermione's mind was telling her that now was not the best time to be doing this, but she didn't listen. Hermione pulled Ron closer to her, so that his bare chest pressed against her jumper and she could feel his heart beating next to hers. She softly bit his lip. He moaned and pulled her closer, one hand cupping her face and the other pressing against the small of her back.

Hermione tangled her fingers in his fiery red hair and somehow, she was on top of him. A sort of growl resounded in Ron's throat and he ran his hands up and down her back. Hermione took one of her hands away from Ron's hair and began exploring his bare chest, feeling the curves of the muscles he had developed from years of Quidditch.

Ron's hands found themselves at the hem of Hermione's jumper. After a second's hesitation, he began running them across the smooth skin of her back. Hermione gasped and kissed Ron with a new intensity. Their lips crashed together, tongues exploring each other's mouths. They needed air, but they didn't want to stop. Hermione moved her lips from Ron's mouth, to his cheek, and then kissed the stubble on his jaw line, then his freckled chest. Ron, catching his breath, pulled Hermione closer to him before flipping her over so he was on top of her. He kissed her on the lips, caressing her face with his hands.

Her hands were now roaming over his back, sending shivers down his spine. He broke their kiss so he could look into her eyes. She looked right back at him with a look of intense longing and love, a look she had been forced to keep inside her for so long. Their breathing still ragged, he kissed her once more.

She smiled into his lips and squeezed him tightly against her. She rolled over to her side, and Ron followed suit, so that her back was pressed against his chest as he wrapped his long arms around her middle.

He kissed her shoulder and she sighed contently. Soon, exhaustion had caught up with both of them, and Hermione found herself struggling to stay awake.

Before completely losing consciousness, Ron managed to whisper the one thing he had been dying to say to Hermione for who knows how long.

"I love you, 'Mione," He breathed. Hermione's breath hitched and she turned around to face him. Ron was shocked to see she had tears in her eyes.

"Ron…" she choked, a lump growing in her throat. Only in her wildest dreams had she heard Ron say these words to her. She had been in love with him since probably her third year, always hoping he would get it through that thick head of his that she wanted to be more than just his best friend. And now here he was, no longer the lanky, red-headed boy she had once had a crush on, but a fully grown man who was fiercely loyal and had more Gryffindor courage inside him than he would ever know. And she knew that she was absolutely, head over heels in love with Ronald Weasley.

"I love you too." She managed to whisper back. "I always have and I always will."

Ron smiled as he felt his chest bursting with happiness. He gave her another peck on the lips.

They settled down further into the covers of the bed so that Ron was sleeping on his back and Hermione was curled up against him, with her head resting in the crook of his neck and her hand lying on his chest. Soon they both drifted off into a nightmare-less sleep.

Just before she drifted off, Hermione's last thoughts turned to the future she had ahead of her. She knew that there were still a lot of obstacles they would have to overcome, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of hope. Now, she had hope that she would live to see tomorrow; hope that maybe she and Ron could finally have a future together; and hope that—eventually—everything will be all right again.

It's a funny thing, hope. Even though it seemed to come and go with the rise and decline of Lord Voldemort, Hermione had a strange feeling that they all had had it in their hearts all along.


End file.
